Should the app host or upload the audio files?

No. Hosting is a bandwidth bill and a support burden, and every podcaster already pays a host that does it better. Store a link to the file in their existing host and keep the app focused on the process around the audio. The moment you accept uploads you inherit storage costs, transcoding, and a whole class of failure your planner does not need.

Can it publish directly to Spotify or Apple Podcasts?

Not usefully, and not in version one. Distribution happens through the RSS feed your host generates, so the integration you would actually want is with the host — and each host has a different API, or none. Ship the checklist that reminds the user to publish, get real users, then integrate with whichever host most of them turn out to use.

How to Build a Podcast Planner App with AI (2026)

What a podcast planner app needs

Episode pipeline: idea, booked, recorded, edited, scheduled, published
Reusable publish checklist applied to every new episode
Guest records with bio, links, and booking date
Show notes editor with timestamped chapter markers
Recording-day reminders for guest and host
Season view with episode numbering handled automatically

The screens

Screen	What it does
Pipeline	Episodes grouped by stage, drag to advance
Episode	Title, guest, notes, checklist, and stage history
Show Notes	Rich text with chapter timestamps and link list
Guests	Contact, bio, social links, episodes appeared on
Checklist Template	Edit the steps every episode inherits
Calendar	Recording and publish dates in one month view

The data model

Show: name, description, defaultChecklistId, seasonNumber
Episode: showId, number, title, stage, recordDate, publishDate, guestIds, notes, durationSeconds
Guest: name, email, bio, socialLinks, notes
ChecklistItem: episodeId, label, done, order
Chapter: episodeId, timestampSeconds, title

The build prompt (copy this)

Paste this into ShipNative and it becomes a working React Native app with these screens, navigable in a live preview, in about two minutes:

“A production tracker for podcasters. Episodes move through a pipeline of idea, booked, recorded, edited, scheduled, and published, shown as columns that an episode can be dragged between. Every new episode automatically inherits a checklist from an editable template — things like write description, upload audio, send guest the link — and an episode cannot be marked published while required items are unchecked. Episode Detail holds the title, the guest, the record and publish dates, and a show-notes editor where the user can add timestamped chapter markers. Guests are their own records with a bio, email, and social links, and each guest shows the episodes they appeared on. A Calendar screen shows recording and publish dates for the month. Episode numbers are assigned automatically within a season. Local reminders fire the day before a recording. Screens: Pipeline, Episode, Show Notes, Guests, Checklist Template, Calendar.”

Then iterate with small, screen-specific prompts (“make the primary button bigger”, “add an empty state”), preview on your own phone, and export the full Expo project whenever you want. The full method: how to build an app with AI.

How it makes money

Subscription of around $5–9 per month, with one show free and multiple shows or team members paid. Podcasters with more than one show are running a business and will pay; a hobbyist with one show is the free tier that recommends you to them.

Implementation and the revenue math for every model: how to make money from an app. When you’re ready to ship: App Store and Google Play publishing guides.

Build it now

The prompt above is free to run at shipnative.dev — working podcast planner app on your phone today, full code export, no credit card.

How to Build a Podcast Planner App with AI